Imgur, one of the most popular image sharing and hosting platforms on the web, has stopped access to the site to UK users following notifications of fines by the country’s data protection watchdog.
According to a report on social media, users trying to load Imgur from the UK have encountered the error message “Content not available in your area.”
In March, the Information Committee (ICO) began researching various social media platforms, including Imgur, and considered how to use child data to protect the privacy of minors in the country.
Regulators said Tuesday that they reached preliminary findings in the investigation, informing them earlier this month that they intend to impose a fine on Mediaalab AI, the parent company of Imgur. Regulators said Imgur’s decision to limit access within the country was a “commercial decision taken by the company.”
“Our findings are interim and the ICO will carefully consider the expressions from Mediaalab before finalizing whether to issue a financial penalty,” Tim Capel, interim executive director of ICO’s regulatory oversight, said in a statement. “It is clear that by eviction from the UK, we do not allow organizations to avoid liability for prior violations of data protection laws, and our investigation is ongoing.”
The ICO said the update was “provided to clarify the investigation and will not provide any further details at this time.”
Imgur and its parent company, Mediaalab Ai, did not immediately return a request for comment.
Founded in 2009, Imgur quickly became a prominent figure hosting service for Reddit, and today it has its own large community. The site had over 195 million visits per Semrush in August.
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